Your Voice is Beautiful, Celty
by softpixelpng
Summary: She was victorious and it was beautiful. She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes, as her mouth formed a soft smile. For the first time ever, (considering before, when she'd had her head in Ireland, she didn't use it as a real head.) she wept. Tears streamed down her ivory cheeks, and she covered her face with delicate hands.
1. Sea Foam Green is a Beautiful Color

Twenty-five years she'd been waiting for this day. Her gentle hands reached into the oddly shaped jar as she felt her auburn hair for the first time in so, so long. Her shoulders tensed as she slowly raised the now foreign head out of its confines. Now, she had no clue what she should have done in that moment, but she rested the appendage in its rightful spot upon her neck. It felt strange, but she now had full control over her eyes- a lovely sea foam green that sparkled with a faint happiness. She was hyper-aware of the scent of her empty apartment, and the sounds (or perhaps the lack thereof) that bounced off of the walls. She was victorious and it was _beautiful._ She felt tears prick the corners of her eyes, as her mouth formed a soft smile. For the first time ever, (considering before, when she'd had her head in Ireland, she didn't use it as a real head.) she wept. Tears streamed down her ivory cheeks, and she covered her face with delicate hands.

When the front door clicked open, Celty shot up quickly. _'Shinra...'_ The singular word sent a chill down her spine. What would he think? What would he say? Soft clicks on the oak floor of the apartment notified her that he was coming down the short hallway. And he stepped into the kitchen. Blue-grey eyes met sea green ones. The sound of bags hitting the floor echoed as the man's jaw dropped simultaneously. His eyebrows knitted together as he stared at what was before him, his eyes screaming confusion.

"Celty...?" His voice cut the atmosphere like a sharp knife cutting a thick string. His voice was thick, _syrupy,_ as he spoke again, "Is... You finally found it." There was an insincere smile on his face. It was sad, his eyebrows upturned in an upsetting manner that screamed sadness, while his lips were curved up into a smile as he let out a laugh with the consistency of cough medicine, his words were choked. "I guess this means you're leaving now."

She shook her head frantically, holding her hands up. Afraid to speak at that moment, she relayed a message to him the way she had for years- _through the screen of a phone._ **[Shinra, I'm not leaving. Not unless you want me to...] **And, unlike the man in front of her who'd had mixed emotions plastered across his face, her emotions were _raw_ and whole. Her eyes were sad, but sincere as a few stray tears left trails down her elegant cheeks and dropped down onto the slick black of her clothing. Her hands were shaking, and her chest felt heavy as she stared at the man, searching for an expression other than sadness and false happiness.

The man froze, looking over her porcelain face (her face was so perfect to him, not a singular flaw). He took in the soft auburn of her hair, the green of her eyes, the soft freckles _splattered_ across her face. In all honesty, the first words that came to his mind were youthful _beauty_. This woman sitting in the padded chairs of his dining room table was gorgeous (she always had been, even without the face she had now, she always was.), and she was everything he'd imagined. Taking ginger steps toward her, he knelt on the floor in front of her, staring up at her and taking a ginger hand to wipe the soft droplets of moisture from her tear-stained cheeks. His eyes softened and his expression became happy, he was genuinely happy for the first time in god knows how long. This city they lived in was toxic and it was hard to find a soul that was enlightened. So, when a citizen was genuinely happy and could smile without forcing it out, they embraced it. But, instead of embracing the emotions he had, he stood and pulled the slender woman into a tight embrace.

Her surprised gasp was audible (It had a genuine, audible sound and it was glorious.), and her hands softly grasped the back of his shirt as she buried her face into the soft crook of his neck. Her chest heaved with the threat of more tears, but she was anything but grieving. Words swirling around her mind, '_I've finally done it. I'm finally able to remember. I've gotten what I came here for.' _And there was this soft, tempting voice in the back of her mind, _'It's time to go home now, Celty.' _She quickly dismissed that thought. This was her home. She wasn't leaving any time soon, and that was her final choice. She was going to stay here, where this man (whom she'd grown deeply fond of in the past years) could be with her._  
_

"Celty. Don't cry. You need to smile first. It's been far too long since you've been able to." Shinra's hands held onto her, his embrace one that could have replaced years of tender ones. Her cool face against his warm neck, it was a comforting sensation for the both of them. With his soft words, she obliged, sniffling and making an effort to look up at him. Now, her eyes were puffy, and her cheeks were more tear-stained than before. And she smiled. She grinned at him the way she'd wanted to all of the years she'd spent with him. He grabbed her cold hands with his warm ones and squeezed softly before he grinned right back.

Shinra Kishitani felt a genuine triumph when he realized they'd both got what they wanted. Celty, the love of his life (ever since he was a very young boy, he'd loved her), had gained what she came to this foreign country for- her head. And Shinra had gained the love of this woman, which he'd been trying to gain since he was in junior high.

Celty felt as though his smile was lighting the room. It was so _pure _and genuine, it'd been so long since he'd seen a smile like that from him. Of course, there were bouts of happiness that sprung from the man, but they never lasted long, despite his joyous demeanor.

A laugh bubbled up from her throat and into the air. That was the first she'd heard of her voice since she'd gotten the ability to speak. She was frightened of what she'd sound like. She was scared it'd make Shinra less fond of her (Oh, Celty, you need to realize nothing you could ever do would drive this lovestruck man away.). Shinra's eyes focused on her as his grin grew, and he hugged her to him again, happy to finally be looking at an actual face, rather than imagining one.


	2. Roses are Red

I'd been a week. A week since all of Shinra's fears of losing the love of his life had vanished, and everything felt right. A week of waking up to soft kisses to his cheek in the morning, and ginger kisses on the forehead goodnight. Her cold fingertips always lulled him to sleep as she traced frozen circles onto his back, her chilled toes brushed against his legs when she moved them to get comfortable within the pile of blankets. (Which mostly involved her curled up against his chest, wrapped in his arms contently.)

He was eager to hear her voice for the first time, and asked her to speak on multiple occasions throughout those seven days. She just shook her head, drawing her eyebrows together sternly. This was also often paired with a prompt smack to the shoulder, or something within that category. He knew very well that she would speak when she felt comfortable, and she wasn't quite ready yet. But Shinra still found it an honor to look into those beautiful eyes of hers and spot her emotions, it was much easier than before. Of course, he stopped pressing her buttons and waited with the utmost anticipation. To anyone who didn't know the situation, he'd seem like a father who was overly excited to hear his child's first words, hoping they'd be something along the lines of "dada". It was all he could think about, and he wondered if her voice would sound the same as he'd imagined it when he read the messages when they were on the glowing screen of a cell phone.

When she did finally speak, they were curled up in the blankets on the couch together on a stormy Saturday night, the only thing lighting the apartment was the television. Of course, one blanket wasn't enough for the woman, and she reached for her phone, intending to ask if he'd be bothered if she got another blanket. (She knew very well he wouldn't be. He never was.) It then quickly came to her attention that the object was across the room, sitting on the dining room table, much like a toddler's forgotten toy. She took in a deep breath, staying silent for a moment before her mouth opened with an intake of air.

"Shinra do you-" Her voice was soft, and smooth, (Just as Shinra had imagined.) and she had a thick accent, due to the fact she hadn't spoken since she was in Ireland. She turned to look at him as she asked the question and paused mid-sentence.

The silence throughout the apartment was _deafening_, Celty guessed the man had paused the movie when he'd heard her speak. Was it really that big of a deal? To Shinra, it was the biggest deal in the world. He watched her eyes flick left and right as she looked at his face. Before he knew it, tears were welling up in his eyes, spilling over and leaving wet trails down his cheeks. In one smooth movement, he threw his arms around her and pulled her into a strong embrace.

Small droplets made wet spots on the Dullahan's pink button-up shirt, and Shinra mumbled an apology before he composed himself enough to speak, "Sorry about that." His smile was bright as he looked at his bride-to-be, "I just wasn't prepared to hear you speak so sudden, is all." He wiped a few tears from his cheeks, laughing a little.

The Dullahan simply shook her head, laughing softly, a grin spread across her face. At that moment, Shinra wondered what it'd be like to kiss her. It'd been years of wondering, and the possibility was finally there, and he hadn't taken any action. He was nervous, in all honesty, when he thought about it his palms got clammy and he felt nervous. The man was going on thirty and had still never experienced the feeling of a kiss from someone he genuinely loved, as his heart had been set on Celty for twenty five years of his life. The thought made his stomach lurch and stuck nervous thoughts into his head as he watched Celty smiling.

He didn't dare try anything. He knew exactly where that would lead, and he didn't want that to happen, having had enough jabs to the ribs by the woman. There were many things going through the man's mind before everything was interrupted with a soft hand to his shoulder.

"Shinra, I was going to ask if you'd mind if I went and got another blanket." Celty tilted her head, questioning, and her hair brushing over her shoulders and curling up at the ends. She focused on the words she spoke, her eyebrows drawing together as her mouth formed the sentence. Her accent made a few words sound a bit mispronounced, but he understood her just fine, and he understood that it was her first time speaking Japanese.

Shinra nodded, moving his arms from around her waist to allow her to move from the couch. Celty placed her hands on the cushion and pushed herself up, standing and padding her way into their bedroom, before walking out with a large comforter. Peeking out from behind the large blanket, she smiled at the doctor sheepishly before lowering herself back into her spot next to him and lying the mass of fabric and fluff across the both of them. She brought her knees to her chest before leaning onto the other, nestling her head comfortably on his chest as his arms snaked around her waist once again. Before pressing the play button on the remote, he pressed a small kiss to her forehead, and squeezed her closer for a moment.

The movie then began playing (It had been Celty's pick that night, so it was a SciFi, _Close Encounters of the Third Kind._), and Celty's eyes were glued to the screen, filled with awe (And what seemed like fear- Shinra always wondered why she watched these movies if she was so afraid.). Within twenty minutes, Celty had fallen asleep on him, her arms fallen limp across his chest. Looking down at her, with heavy, tired eyes, he carefully moved her arms and slowly got up off of the couch. Careful not to wake her, Shinra picked her up, bridal-style, and brought her into the bedroom, lying her on the bed (along with the large mass of blankets.). Once she was comfortably on the bed, she curled back up with her knees close to her chest once again, and Shinra crawled in next to her, pulling her close and taking the blankets from the ball they were in. Once they were situated and even on the bed, he fell asleep next to Celty, snoring softly.


	3. Warm Rays of Sun

The sun was shining rather bright through the curtains of the couples room. Shinra'd been awake for nearly an hour while Celty slept away in the confines of the blankets and pillows. Of course, he'd been beyond careful not to wake her when he woke, slowly crawling over her, then placing a soft kiss to her forehead. When she'd finally woken, the sun was filling the room, and she squinted her eyes with the utmost displeasure. It was morning and she had to get out of bed at some point.

Rolling over, she swung her arm to the other side of the bed to find that the space was empty and Shinra had, in fact, already gotten out of bed. It was then that she realized she'd no clue what time it _was_. Shoving the blankets off of her, she turned and slipped her slippers onto her feet and silently walked into the living room.

"Celty! Good morning! How did you sleep?" Shinra turned around at his desk as soon as he heard her in the room behind him. She was leaning against the door frame that lead into the small computer space they kept.

"Pretty well, thank you." Her eyes still had traces of sleep in them, and her lips were upturned in a soft, welcoming smile. Auburn hair unkempt, and clothes wrinkled, it was obvious she'd been awake for no more than ten minutes.

Every time she spoke his face lit up like a small child at the aquarium, watching fireworks, anything that would make a child light up with joy as Shinra did. He'd waited for so, so long to hear her voice, and now he'd be able to hear it every day. It was the little things, her laugh, her humming a tune while she did everyday chores, the idle whispers exchanged between them in the wee hours of the night, being able to express her emotion oh, so much better to him (though he was able to read it just fine before). These things could make Shinra's day so much better in the blink of an eye.

The face he'd made when she spoke made a laugh bubble up inside her throat, filling the air around them with a lighthearted kind of feeling. It was nice, Celty thought, that they could share moments of happiness. It was nice to know he hadn't grown tired of her at all, and he'd been with her every step of the way from Ireland to Japan, from his childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. He was so important. The first human she'd ever genuinely cared about, and still did after so long.

"We should go out today! What do you say?" Shinra's voice cut her thoughts off as he stood, coffee mug in hand. He'd probably already had a good three cups of coffee, but he always had quite a bit in the morning, what with his sleeping issues.

Celty's eyes followed him across the room, into the kitchen as he took the last bit of coffee. Her eyebrows furrowed as she worried at her lip with her teeth. "I haven't been out, except on jobs. And even then I'm wearing my helmet."

Taking a small sip from his cup, he raised an eyebrow, "Really? It's been about a month now, and you've never even considered it?" He made a face after he spoke, then put a teaspoon of sugar into his mug, stirring it with the spoon.

She shrugged, "Of course I _have, _but I'm scared for people's reactions. They'll think I'm some random person, but once I tell my friends who I am, I'm afraid-"

"Celty, why worry about that?" He shot his signature smile her way, his eyes soft and it made her weak, "If I love you either way, why wouldn't anyone else?"

Walking into the room in front of her, she pulled the chair from it's spot with a soft scrape, and sat. "Because you're you. Only you could love a girl without a head and still love her when she finally gets it back."

"On the contrary, my dear Celty. Only a fool could ignore your kind-hearted spirit." Shinra sat in the seat across from his green-eyed beauty.

She shot a firm look his way, "Stop that." She smiled a little anyways, "But do you really think it'll be okay?"

"I _know_ it'll be okay."

With a nod, she stood, stepping away from the table and pushing her chair in, "I'm taking a shower. Then we can go, alright?"

Before he could reply, Celty was already in the bathroom, the door locked and all. She'd started locking the door after she'd caught Shinra trying to peek in on a few occasions. The consequences for that was a firm punch to the shoulder and a locked bathroom door any time she was bathing. After reaching into the shower to turn the water on, she unbuttoned the pink pyjama top she was wearing and stepped out of her pants. When she stepped into the shower, the hot water hitting her back felt nice, and it relaxed her. Regaining her head had brought on so many changes she'd never thought about. Why was she so nervous to be around her friends now? She was scared for their reactions. She was nervous as to how they'd react when she _didn't _have a head, now she was scared to know what they'd say when she did. Would they know it was her? Probably not.

These were the thoughts running through her mind as she washed her hair, lathered the soap over her body and washed everything away. It took some getting used to, having hair to wash. But it was nice. She felt whole again. Reaching for the handle, she turned the shower off and stepped out, wrapping her towel around herself before she walked out of the bathroom. She saw Shinra peek around the corner as she walked straight to their room and she muttered a warning in his direction.

Sliding their closet open, she saw the large amount of clothing the two of them possessed. Shinra had gone clothing shopping for the two of them on multiple occasions. Though she was rarely seen wearing anything but the slick black of her catsuit, she appreciated the face he put thought into real clothing for her.

Picking through the clothing on the hangers, she chose a black, white collared shirt and paired it with a pink colored skirt. It'd been a long while since she'd worn normal day clothes, let alone any kind of skirt. She felt nice, though. It felt nice to be dressed nicely and have the opportunity to look nice, so she took the chance to her advantage and finally used the makeup she'd bought a week ago, and put her hair up. If she was going to go out with Shinra, she'd look nice.

Shoving all of the makeup into the small bag she'd bought to put it in, she threw it rather sloppily on the wooden dresser in the room the two shared. Pulling on a pair of shoes, she walked into the room again, a hair tie in her mouth as she struggled to pull her hair back. Shinra just smiled as he watched her, also dressed and ready do go. Nothing fancy, but not his normal button up and tie. It was going to be a good day, both of them could tell.

"Okay." Celty turned to him with a sigh of content, "Are we ready?"

"I'm thinking so." Shrina nodded, with eyes gleaming with happiness as he grabbed her hand and walked her out of the door.

With a small laugh, Celty trailed along, her pale, freckled cheeks rosy with happiness. This being their first _real_ date. The first date they'd had that wouldn't be accompanied by stares of the other citizens of Ikebukuro. This was something Celty'd wanted for a long while. A life as close to normal as it could possibly be. Of course she knew it still wouldn't be completely normal, what with her being inhuman and all, but it was close. They could carry conversations without the presence of technology, and share meals.

As her feet stepped out onto the concrete that was the streets of Ikebukuro, her lover's hand clasped around her own, she felt happy, and _whole_.

_A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this took so long, and this chapter doesn't really have much to it! It's kind of a filler to lead up to the next chapter! And as for celty's outfit~ __ cgi/set?id=155921108 is how i imagined it! Anyways, chapter 4 is gonna be up asap!_


	4. I and Love and You

With soft clicks against the concrete and Shinra's warm hand grasping her chilled one, Celty couldn't imagine a better day. They had been wandering through the shopping districts, and marveling over the clothes, books and movies on display, chatting idly about these things and more. It was exactly what Shinra'd had in mind, and a day Celty enjoyed to the fullest.

Nobody had approached them, but they had received puzzled looks from a small handful of onlookers as they realized Dr. Kishitani _wasn't _with the headless rider, but with another. He'd been seen with the urban legend on multiple occasions, and there'd been buzz that they were in business together. Not confirmed nor denied of course, when the biker was addressed about it, she'd say silent, as well as the doctor. If only they'd known that there was only one change to the scene before their eyes: True happiness, and a woman who'd finally met her goal.

As the pair continued walking, talking, laughing and having a nice time, Celty ran into a familiar figure. A grunt was heard from the man as the couple stopped, and the man stepped back, looking down at the freckle-faced beauty.

"Watch where you're going, okay?" His eyebrow twitched as his eyes wandered and landed on the man who was attached to the woman by their hands, "Shinra? What are you doing out here with- Did Celty break it off with you? Really? Never thought I'd see that coming." Shizuo spoke with a soft tone as he pulled a cigarette out and lit it, putting it to his lips and inhaling.

"What?! No, no of course not-" Shinra then turned to look at Celty, who was averting her gaze, chewing her lip softly as the two exchanged their words. _Of course she hadn't told him. _

Quickly snapping her gaze to the blond brute, Celty pursed her lips and stared with an expression that only read as determination. Her lips parting, she spoke with a tone that was sure, and confident, "Shizuo, I would appreciate it if you'd keep from talking about Shirna and I's break up. I'd really like to think that wouldn't happen any time in the future." Well, that was one way of telling her best friend who she was.

Citrine eyes widening, and a small stream of smoke flowing out of his mouth, Shizuo coughed, "Celty?" He glanced from her, to Shinra, and back again, "When did that happen? I'll say you look... Great." He gestured to her, smiling with the most genuine smile she'd ever seen from him.

And she beamed right back, fiddling with the end of her skirt with her free hand before she let go of Shinra's hand to pull her friend into an embrace, "Thank you, Shizuo. It was hard, but I _finally_ made it." She pressed a small kiss to his cheek and stepped away.

Grinning and scratching the back of his head, Shizuo laughed, "Well I'm glad for you, Celty. You deserve it." It was something he thought she deserved for so long, and wa genuinely happy for the pair, "And Shinra," He turned to the doctor happily, "Keep her close." His voice was serious, but anyone could tell there was meaning behind what he'd said.

With a nod, Shinra smiled, "Of course, Shizuo. I always have."

"Well, you two continue with your fun, I'm off to work." Shizuo nodded, and waved as he walked past the couple and disappeared within the streets of the busy neighborhood.

Shinra turned to Celty with a raised brow, a small smile on his face before he laughed softly, "Well, that's one less person to worry about."

Of course, it took a weight off of Celty's shoulders, but of the vast amount of people she knew, who knew of her _abnormality_ before, there was still a small pressure upon her. But why did it bother her so much that she needed to make a big deal? Why couldn't she address it casually, like Shinra'd been doing this whole time? These were questions she asked herself as the man's steel blue eyes stared at the side of her face. Celty, quickly realizing how long she'd been lost in these thoughts, smiled and turned to Shirna.

"So, where are we off to now?" The look on her delicate features made Shinra's knees weak and his heart race.

He loved every inch of her, headless or not. Without thinking, Shirna quickly glanced on either side of them, and looked back at her. It was odd, he thought, to be out with a woman he'd known his whole life. A woman who hadn't changed at all since day one, a woman who had so much dirt on him (Ah, the memories of the adolescent doctor, messy hair, braces, and all). He didn't mind so much, because what mattered was there, and what was happening around them _now_.

Cupping a hand to Celty's cheek, Shinra came closer, pressing his lips to hers in the tenderest of ways. Like anyone, Celty was caught off guard for a moment, staring bewildered at the man in front of her, her face a redder tint than normal, yes still that pale porcelain skin he was used to. (She didn't blush normally, due to the odd way her body works. And no matter how _badly _Shinra wanted to understand, it was nearly impossible.)

"You know, I think we've had a busy enough day," Shinra said, with a lowered tone as he took hold of Celty's hand once again, "I think it's time we go home, and maybe watch a movie. Relax a little. You deserve it."

Celty, still taken aback, nodded while gripping his hand in return. She walked with him, weaving their way through the small amount of people out on the streets. She hadn't expected their first kiss to be on a neighborhood street in front of a clothing store just after they had spoken with her best friend, yet, she couldn't ask for anything more.

The sounds of their feet thumping against the stairs bounced off of the walls of the stairwell as they approached their home. And once Shinra had the door unlocked, Celty had words forming in her mouth.

And she spoke them, "Shinra?" He turned to her, questioning as he stood in the doorway, looking out to her. She was standing right where the light above their door hit her and made her hair shine, and it was picture perfect, "I love you."

Now, it was his turn to be taken aback, a soft gasp escaping his lips as he grinned from ear to ear and took her hand. Pulling her in to a warm, loving embrace, he mumbled into her shoulder, "I love you too, Celty. I always have."


End file.
